Categories
IWC Replica

IWC 2012 Pilot’s replica watches : hands-on with the Miramar Worldtimer

At SIHH 2012, IWC’s presence was the most talked about, the rather humbly named ‘booth’ a no-cost-spared (partial) reproduction of an aircraft carrier, complete with flight deck, officers’ briefing room, pilots’ locker room, and even a flight deck control room.

Their booth represented their focus of this year’s releases, IWC’s highly successful 70 year old Pilots’ Collection, with a reworking of existing models and a focus on the five new TOP GUN models, especially two ‘Miramar’ models : the Big Pilot TOP GUN Miramar, and the Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing located in Miramar, San Diego. The air station is best known as the former location of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS) and its TOPGUN training program, which relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in western Nevada and merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC).

Last week, I was given the opportunity to take a look at some of these new IWC models, and two of them stood out for me.

First up is the Pilot’s Replica Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar has (Ref. IWC501902).

At 48mm and with a height of 15mm, this is not a small replica watch. The dark grey ceramic case is polished, with a titanium caseback, which is matched in the buckle for the strap. With their largest in-house calibre the 51111 inside, there is a 7-day power reserve, with the display at 3 o’clock.

When the two MIRAMAR models were launched, people seem to be quite divided about how they felt about them. One of the things that has been mentioned has been the size. A 48mm replica watch sounds far too large for most people but to me, this one seemed to sit smaller than a 48mm, feeling almost like a 46mm.

The polished case gives it quite a noticeable sheen which perhaps to some degree, is at odds with the rest of the replica watch; I would probably prefer a matte case, as has been used before by IWC. Another issue that people have been talking about has been the colour scheme on the dial. I found the military-styled dial and colouring of this replica watch quite different ‘in the metal’ to photos. In fact the colouring you see in this photo looks a bit different to how it looks in natural light. What did surprise me about this model is that I felt more positively disposed to it after seeing it.  It looks better than it does in photos, but it’s not a discreet replica watch, in terms of size and colouring. Of the two MIRAMAR models, I prefer this one, as the date window on the chronograph is of the three-dates-visible type, which I’m not that keen on.

Next up is the Pilot Worldtimer (Ref. IWC326201) with its 24-hour ring and featuring 23 locations on the outer ring. It is housed in a 45mm (13.5mm high) stainless steel case inside which is the automatic Cal. 30750 movement, which has a power-reserve of 42 hours. The seconds are hacking and there is a 6 bar water resistance.

In the photo below, the UTC (current Universal Time Coordinate) is set for London. For cities which are on daylight saving time, the time can be read below the dot linked to the city name with a line. If local time is changed on the dial, the time shown by the 24-hour ring remains unaffected and the movement continues to tick along during the change.

This is a good solid functional world timer. There are no unnecessary bells and whistles, you get exactly what the name states. As I mentioned above, the ‘three date’ style of window is not my preference, especially for a dial that’s already quite busy, but the use of a red marker does the date easy to see at a glance.

I often mention how a luxury replica watch sits on the wrist, as many of us will read a size and mentally make a decision as to whether it’s excluded from consideration because it’s too big/ small. It’s not always that easy. I’ve seen replica watches that are 45mm sit more comfortably than ones that are 42mm, for example. This 45mm Worldtimer is one of those 45mm replica watches that seems to sit smaller than its size. If you’re looking for a world timer and like the look of IWC’s one but are unaccustomed to wearing such a large replica watch, I’d suggest that you test it at a retailer, you might be surprised.

This final replica watch wasn’t in the SIHH 2012 pilots’ releases, but here it is, because it’s an attractive replica watch, and part of the current collection. The Portofino Chronograph Laureaus Sport for Good Foundation edition (Ref. IWC391019) is IWC’s sixth Laureus collaboration, with the dial the Laureaus blue, representing hope.

A classic Portofino chronograph designwise, it’s a comfortable 42mm and 13.5mm high, with the Cal. 75320 and a 44-hour power reserve. As well as the blue dial and matching blue alligator strap, the other distinguishing feature is the engraved caseback relating to the Laureaus Foundation. It’s produced in a limited edition of 2,500 and not a bad looking attractive replica watch; the blue is quite deep and discreet and for its size, it feels almost like a 40mm replica watch.

Here are some final shots of some of the other 2012 IWC releases.


Many thanks to Ching and The Hour Glass in Sydney for the opportunity to have a look at these new models.

Categories
Swiss Replica

Parmigiani Tonda Quantième Annual Retrograde

Due to the short period between this year’s SIHH and Baselworld, there are still several replica watches that were released in Geneva, that I love to share with you. One of them is Parmigiani’s new Tonda Quantième Annual Retrograde.

The Tonda Annual Calendar (English for Quantième Annual) uses caliber PF339, the 17th movement developed in-house by Parmigiani Fleurier. Michael Parmigiani, as chief replica watchmaker, is responsible for the development of so many beautiful movements.

When I first saw this rendered image of the new Tonda Annual Calendar I really didn’t know what to think of it. Maybe it’s hard to judge from such a rendered image? Parmigiani showed us this year’s novelties during a dinner with journalists and collectors. When I saw it ‘in the metal’ I was persuaded. Next to me was Alexander Friedman of Replica Watchonista, who had fallen in love with the rose gold version with charcoal grey dial and tried to convince me that it was the most beautiful one. I had fallen for the white gold version (also with a charcoal grey dial) and was trying hard to convince him that this was the one to buy.

Sorry for the crappy iPhone photo, but it’s the only photo I have showing both versions on our wrists. My personal choice has always been white metals, however in this case the rose gold version looks so beautiful that I’m very tempted.

All models of the Tonda collection have a timeless round case with very recognizable lugs. The lugs add something visually that makes the replica watch a little more present on the wrist, than one would expect from its diameter of 40 mm. Its diameter makes it an average sized replica watch, very comfortable, which is emphasized by its height of 11.2 mm. The lugs not only add that specific look and some more visual presence, but they keep the strap very close to the case. Because of the short lugs, the replica watch wears slightly smaller, something which always happens when lugs are relatively short.

This is the first Annual Calendar complication from Parmigiani. The development of this new complication is based on the brands PF 331 automatic movement, with the incorporation of a new additional Parmigiani module, creating the PF 339 Annual Calendar.

The partical thing about this annual calendar is that it only needs adjusting in a non-leap year. It automatically accounts for the variation in the number of days in each month. Only one manual correction needs be made each year, (for the month of February in non-leap years). In a leap year, the date will display the 29 February and will automatically move to the 1 March the following day.

The calendar indicator is a retrograde hand, meaning it instantly jumps back to 1 after the last day of the month (with the exception as stated above of course).

The day of the week is positioned at 9 o’clock and the month, shown as a number from 1 to 12, is at 3 o’clock. At 6 o’clock is a moon phase indicator, which needs one correction every 120 years. It offers two indications for the moon; one for the Northern hemisphere and one for the Southern hemisphere.

Again Parmigiani created a magnificently beautiful movement, hand finished, and with a gold oscillating weight (=rotor).

A big thanx to Malik Bahri from Replica Watchonista for letting me use two of his photos. Let’s end with the specifications:

Case

  • Round 3 piece case – diameter: 40 mm – height: 11.2 mm – finish: Polished
  • Water resistance: 30 meters
  • Antiglare treated sapphire crystal
  • Caseback with sapphire crystal
  • Individual number engraved on the caseback

The Replica Parmigiani Tonda Annual Calendar is available in white gold and rose gold and with two choices for the dial: silver or charcoal grey. The silver dials features a delicate grained decoration with a silvered opaline ring, while the black dial features a barley grain in the centre and a black opaline ring. Totally matching with its class, Parmigiani choose to deliver it on a Hermès alligator strap.

More information can be found at the Parmigiani website or on their official Facebook page.

This article is written by Frank Geelen, executive editor of Monochrome Replica Watches.

Categories
Longines Replica

The rare Longines-Wittnauer Second Settingwatch replica

http://www.replicaukonline.com/category/longines-replica/

One of the reasons I carry a camera with me all the time is because I never know when I might meet an unexpected replica watch.

Firstly, a bit of history.

The relationship between Wittnauer and Longines goes back a long way. Up to the 1890s, all of the luxury Longines replica watches had been brought into the U.S. and Canada through J. Eugene Robert & Co., NY., which was taken over by Roberts’ brother-in-law Albert Wittnauer in 1890. Thus, all Longines replica watches imported to North America during this tenure have ‘Wittnauer’ on the dial. In 1936, the Wittnauer family sold A.Wittnauer Co., and a re-organised arrangement with Longines lead to the creation of the Longines-Wittnauer Replica Watch Co.

What eventually became a longstanding relationship with aviation began in 1907, when Wittnauer supplied a pair of replica watches to the Navy, which was testing its aviation capabilities. During WWI, Wittnauer supplied military wristwatches and navigational devices to American Expeditionary Forces and an aircraft clock to the forerunner of the U.S. Army Air Corps.

In 1927, Wittnauer and Longines collaborated with Captain Philip van Horn Weems, a pioneering aviator who taught navigation to Charles Lindberg. This lead to Weems registering a patent for a ‘Second Setting Replica Watch’ in 1929. Seen by many to be the first pilot’s replica watch, the Second Setting replica watch was intended to complement on-board compasses, flight charts and chronometers.

During flights, navigational adjustments were necessary for time errors, as small deviations in the accuracy of time measurement could lead to errors in flight calculations (fuel consumption, position and time to destination). Pilots would listen to the minute by minute radio beeps (e.g. GMT) to accurately adjust the centre seconds dial. This would indicate the time error on their replica watch so they could do calculations more accurately.

To make these replica watch adjustments easier, Weems put in a movable inner dial, which adjusted the dial to the hand. The aviator would move the dial in accordance with the radio time signal, noting any deviations from Greenwich Mean Time.

Throughout its life, there have been numerous iterations of the Weems Second Setting replica watch, including later versions with a rotating seconds-register. The first series, the A3, was produced between 1929 – 1936, the second (A12) between 1936 – 1946, a series for the Japanese Imperial Navy between 1936 – 1946 (IJNAS), the A11 between 1938 – 1948, a 26mm version, the A12, for the period of 1936 – 1948, plus a couple of other variations.

This example is an early model. In sterling silver 47mm case (55mm lug to lug) with an onion crown, it has a double-hinged case back which, unfortunately, I couldn’t open.

Its enamel dial is in amazing condition, featuring painted Breguet numerals, an outer minute track and, at its centre, the revolving dial. The Breguet hands are blued-steel, and it has a Cal. 18.69 movement, 15 jewels, a straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, and index regulator.

Despite being the forerunner of the early pilots’ replica watches, and coming before the more well known early B-Uhr styled fliegers, these are, for some reason, not as widely known. They are rare beasts and, alongside other vintage Longines such as the Lindbergh, very collectible.

In the metal it is a beautiful replica watch, very solid and durable in appearance and, despite its size, really very wearable. There’s something about an understated, historically interesting rare vintage replica watch which can get the pulse going. This one’s case shows signs of its history of use, but the dial is simply stunning. It’s an easy replica watch to fall in love with purely on the grounds of aesthetics, but combined with its vintage, its history and importance, it makes a killer horological package.

In 2007, Longines produced a homage to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Weems Second-Setting Replica Watch.

Westinghouse bought Longines-Wittnauer in 1969, and the relationship between Wittnauer and Longines continued until September 1994, when Longines was sold.

Categories
Swiss Replica

New Replica Speake-Marin Serpent Calendar with five-day power reserve movement

famous replica watchPeter Speake-Marin unveils a new version of his Serpent Calendar featuring an automatic movement with five-day power reserve! And for an attractive price as well. Now that’s great news on day one of Baselworld 2012.

The Serpent Calendar, part of the Original Piccadilly Collection with Enamel dial, has always been one of my favorites. Although the new Serpent Calendar does not have an enamel dial, I must admit that it looks better and has another huge improvement, being the new automatic movement, caliber Eros 1.

While the Serpent Calendar’s three-piece Piccadilly case is at first glance similar to the original Piccadilly case (here you can see my own Piccadilly as reference), the inset date dial and new automatic winding movement allow for a much slimmer case of just 12mm. The entire replica watch has been redesigned from the ground up, while it retained the distinctive identity of the original Serpent; a completely new dial, a completely new case and a completely new Serpent hand. And of course a completely new movement, but later more about that.

“The original Serpent was the first calendar replica watch I made and it quickly became one of the most popular Speake-Marin timepieces,” says Peter Speake-Marin. “The idea is simple and goes back over a century to early pocket replica watches that used a curved hand to differentiate the date from the time indications. The Serpent Calendar now brings a fresh look to this classic design.”

The dial is glossy-finished with white lacquer and bold Roman numerals. If you look closely, you’ll see that the sides of the Roman numerals taper inwards towards the center and follow the line of the hands. It might be a small detail, however it looks good and shows the attention for detail that Peter Speake-Marin has.

The Serpent Calendar indicates central hours, minutes and date by bright blue sculptured Speake-Marin hands. The Serpent date hand with its exaggerated curves ensure that this date hand is never completely covered by either the hour or minute hand. The center part of the dial shows Arabic numerals for the date and is slightly recessed. It also shows a small image of the iconic topping tool, below the center of the dial towards 6 o’clock, which is a recognizable visual reference to the Speake-Marin collection.

A reference that we can also see on the reverse side of the famous replica watch…

The movement Speake-Marin uses in the Serpent Calendar, is an automatic movementwith Peter Speake-Marin’s signature mystery rotor in the shape of a topping tool. The rotor is blue PVD coated, not heat-blued. Maybe some purist would prefer heat-blued, however when you see the price of this new Speake-Marin I’m sure you won’t mind. Peter has managed to keep this one in a very pleasant price range.

Caliber Eros 1 has a five-day power reserve, or 120 hours, that comes from twin barrels. The movement has a large diameter (30.4 mm) and its almost full three-part bridge is circular-grained. And even though the price level is incredibly pleasant, all bridges, the gear train, setting lever spring, mainplate and rotor are circled, spotted, straight grained and polished by hand!

Now that’s superb and luckily Speake-Marin has a good explanation for the remarkable caliber name ?

Why Eros? As Peter Speake-Marin explains: “I am English, the case name is Piccadilly after my formative years working in Piccadilly, London, and Eros is the famous landmark statue in Piccadilly Circus.”

Because of the new movement the case could be quite thin, which improves comfort on the wrist. The new slim Piccadilly case looks great and it’s available with the option of either a casual, stainless steel or a more sophisticated, red gold case.

Now that looks handsome!

The Serpent Calendar is available with a stainless steel or 18K 5N red gold case in either 38mm or 42mm diameter. The different variations in size are easily recognizable by the wider bezel of the 42 mm version. The first photo of this article shows the stainless steel version in 42 mm and the second photo shows the stainless steel version in 38 mm. The photo above shows the red gold version in 42 mm.

And the best news… the prices, of course depending the size and metal, are between 11’500 CHF (VAT excl.) for a Steel 38mm up to 22’500 CHF (VAT Excl.) for a 5N 42mm. Prices have to be confirmed, but should not be more than 10% higher than what’s quoted here.

Here are the specifications and some more photos of the red gold version.

Dial and Hands:

  • Central hours, minutes and seconds
  • Central heat-blued Serpent calendar hand
  • ‘Foundation’ style, heat-blued central hour, minute and second hands
  • Multi-layered, glossy-finished, white-lacquered dial
  • Black Roman numeral hour and minute markers
  • Black Arabic numeral date markers
  • Black Speake-Marin ‘topping tool’ motif at 6 o’clock and Speake-Marin name at 12 o’clock

Movement:

  • Calibre EROS 1, automatic mechanical movement
  • Dimensions: 30.40mm x 4.35mm
  • Power reserve: 120 hours
  • Jewels: 35
  • Twin barrel
  • Instantaneous date
  • Frequency: 28,800vph / 4Hz
  • Three position crown: manual winding, rapid date correction and stop-second time setting
  • Signature Speake-Marin ‘topping tool’ mystery rotor
  • Blue PVD treatment applied on the rotor wheel
  • Bridges, gear train, setting lever spring, mainplate and rotor circled, spotted, straight grained and polished by hand

Case and strap:

  • Iconic Speake-Marin Piccadilly case crafted in either stainless steel or 18K 5N red gold
  • Three-piece case construction
  • Diameter: 38mm or 42mm
  • Height: 12mm
  • Front and display-back sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating
  • Case-back circumference engraving: “Speake-Marin – The Piccadilly”
  • Water resistance: 3atm/30m/100ft
  • Genuine, natural alligator leather strap with stainless steel or 5N red gold tang buckle

Please check Speake-Marin’s website for more photos and of course availability.

Categories
Rolex Replica

Hands-on with the Rolex ExplorerII Replica

One of Rolex’s most talked about announcements at Basel World 2011 was an updated Explorer II (Ref. 216570), with a 24-hour arrow hand in orange, harking back to the original 1971 Ref.1655 Explorer II, which was an addition to the Explorer model released in 1953.

After the release of the Ref. 1655, it wasn’t until 1984 that Rolex introduced a new Explorer II, Ref.16550. Changes included the sapphire crystal, the calibre 3085 movement, the shape of the hands (the 24 hour hand changed from a small red-orange arrow shaped hand to a long red 24 hour hand with a white arrow at the end), and a new white dial version. The 16550 is also referred to as a transitional model, transitional to the Ref. 16570 introduced in 1989.

Recently, I got to have some hands-on time with the latest Explorer II.

Available in black or white, at 42mm and 12mm thick it is bigger than the 1655. The white model has black hands with black rings around the hour markers, and the black version has silver hands with silver rings around the makers. The dial is covered by a scratch resistant sapphire crystal with the standard magnifier over the date.

The Ref. 217570 is powered by the in-house automatic Calibre 3187, which beats at 28,800, has a blue Parachrom hairspring, Breguet overcoil, and is protected by Paraflex shock absorbers. The date is an instantaneous jump at 12, the 24-hour hand independently adjustable to display a second time zone. There are 31 jewels and the cal 3187 has a power reserve of 48 hours. The crown is a Twinlock screw-down, and the replica watch has a water resistance of 100m or 330ft. The lume is said to last up to 8 hours after a full charge.

This is very much a modern replica Rolex, not a homage to the Ref. 1655. It’s big but not too much so, sitting comfortably on the wrist, the bracelet with the “Easylink” feature which allows the wearer to fine-tune the fit to within 5mm.

I really like the orange hand, which looks great against the white dial. In comparing it with its immediate predecessor the Ref.16570, my personal preference is for this current model. I like the larger size and for me, the orange hand is a nice nod to its origins, but also thoroughly contemporary in its colour and how it has been realised, with the matching orange text on the dial. What I realised is that this is a replica watch that has to be seen in the flesh; it’s actually a lot more engaging than I had expected it would be. If you’re in the market for a Rolex or a solid sports replica watch of this type, the Explorer II is worth taking a look at.

Categories
Omega Replica

An early Omega Bumper Replica Watch Reveiw

Amongst many vintage replica watch enthusiasts, Omega has a strong hold both aesthetically, and because of the mechanical innovations made by the brand. One of these is the calibre 28.10. Introduced in 1943, it was Omega’s first commercialised automatic moment, and is considered to be one of Omega’s legendary calibres.

The term “bumper” refers to the automatic winding movements from Omega (but not exclusive to the brand) which were very popular in the from the 1930 to 1950s.

When the weighted hammer to wind the mainspring (swinging in a pendulum fashion) reaches the end of the distance it can travel it bumps into a spring and stops. This bumping can be felt by the person wearing the replica watch, thus these replica watches are often referred to as “bumper automatics”. Beginning with the 28.10, the “bumpers” went through to the cal.355.

This is a 1946 (10M service number) 18kt solid gold Omega with bumper automatic movement Calibre 28.10. There is a replica watch identical to this one in the Omegamania catalogue, called the “Ambassador” model.

This as-pristine-as-you’ll-ever-find-a-watch-from-1946 was purchased from the original owner with case, movement and dial in amazing condition and totally untouched, which is quite rare for this age of replica watch. Bumpers may be fairly easy to get, but ones of this vintage and this little worn, are not.

The calibre 28.10 was renamed cal.340 in 1949 and became the basis of of the cal 34x and 35x bumper movement. There were different iteration of the 20.10, with 28.10 SC being the centre second. Calibre 28.10 was unidirectional wind whereas the cal 34x and 35x had bi-directional wind. Interestingly, the cal.35x had a swan-neck regulator not found on the calibre 28.10 or cal.34x, and I believe these swan neck regulator movements were certified chronometres.

A prototype self-winding rose-gilt movement with triple-calendar developed in 1944/ 1945 but never commercialised. This movement was based on calibre 28.10 (340). Had production of this movement gone ahead it would have been the world’s first automatic wristwatch with triple-calendar.

Apart from being used in the vintage automatic line, the first Constellation in 1952 also used the 28.10 movement.

[with initialjh]

Categories
Casio Replica

Replica Casio G-Shock GA100-1A2

One of the interesting things about replica watch enthusiasts is the fondness that so many of them have for the humble Casio G-SHOCK. Inexpensive, tough, and coming in a seemingly endless number of models, almost every replica watchnerd I’ve met seems to have owned one at some point.

I can’t say that they are the type of replica watch I’d wear, but here is one, the GA100-1A2, that aesthetically at least, looks slightly more attractive to me, by virtue of it also having an analog, component, rather than being purely digital.

This is a large replica watch. At 55mm x 51mm x 17mm, it is not for the small of wrist. This is a photo of it on a 7.5 inch wrist.

So what functions does this quartz analog/ digital replica watch have? Well, it’s almost a case of what it doesn’t have, but here is a list of its functions and specifications

*Magnetic resistance
*LED light (auto light, afterglow)
*Auto light switch, selectable illumination duration, afterglow
*World timer : 29 time zones (48 cities) with coordinated universal time, daylight saving setting, home city / world time city swapping
*1/1000-second stopwatch (total of 100 hours)
*Measuring modes: Elapsed time, lap time, split time
*Speed measurement function (MAX1998unit / h, unit 2unit / h)
*Mach indicator (speed exceeding 1225 units / hour)
*Countdown timer
*5 independent daily alarms (4 one-time alarms and 1 snooze alarm)
*Hourly time signal
*Digital calendar to 2099.
*12/24-hour format
*Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month
*Approx. battery life: 2 years on CR1220
*Waterproof to 200m

It is made from stainless steel and plastic, with a screwed-in back and resin strap. At a mere 70g, this replica watch is extremely light, which makes it quite wearable in spite of its size.

If you take a look at this link, you’ll see that G-Shocks are pretty tough beasts. If you wish to replicate these tests, I’d love to hear your results.

There are very robust replica watches that are made of more expensive materials, such as Sinn’s tegimented steel replica watches, but if you’re looking for a casual, low maintenance, durable and inexpensive replica watch that you don’t have to worry about, especially if you want multiple functionality (this model has rather more functions than most), Casio’s G-SHOCKs are well worth considering.

One of the interesting things about the G-SHOCKs is that the range is so wide that they appeal to everyone from those who want a sturdy accurate replica watch purely for functional purposes, to geeks, to those who buy multiples of the simpler more colourful models as fashion items.

For more information about the origins of the G-SHOCK, and about its design and shock resistance, go to the dedicated G-SHOCK website here. If you want to see the other colour variants of the GA100, you can find them here.

Categories
Girard-Perregaux Replica

Pre SIHH 2012 – Replica Girard-Perregaux 1966 Annual Calendar and Equation of Time

Girard-Perregaux is the first to show us the novelties that will be officially released at the SIHH 2012. A new version of the 1966 Annual Calendar and Equation of Time and also a new version of the 1966 Small Seconds. Both look stunning!

The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Annual Calendar and Equation of Time was first released in 2009 and immediately was my favorite of that year. This year, or actually next year during the SIHH 2012, Girard-Perregaux will show us this model with a pink gold case and a ruthenium dial. Absolutely stunning.

This timepiece possesses all the assets of beautiful replica watchmaking, including its movement, caliber GP033M0. The flat surfaces are circular-grained, sunray-brushed or decorated with Côtes de Genève, while sharp edges are chamfered then polished, as are the flat-head screws. Caliber GP033M0 comprises of 287 parts, and is of course entirely developed and produced by the Girard-Perregaux Manufacture.

Girard-Perregaux developed a Microvar balance wheel with variable inertia (see photo to the left). It features six adjustable screws and two inertia-blocks on its rim, used respectively to set the balance wheel’s equilibrium and enable fine adjustment of the movement. This ensures increased precision and more stable adjustment.

The annual calendar, with date and month, only has to be corrected in February. The hand at 4.30 indicates the equation of time, which is the difference between the real solar time and the mean or civil time. The length of a solar day actually varies daily, due to the elliptical shape of the Earth’s orbit. This astronomical complication is based on a mechanism incorporating an annual disc with an elliptical cam that reproduces the Earth’s movement around the Sun. Corrections to the calendar are made with the crown, in both directions!

The 40 mm pink gold case has gorgeous curves and the strap are rounded so it is quite flush to the case. The case is 10.72 mm thick and has a sapphire crystal on boh sides. Through the see-through case back, the movement with its pink gold oscillating weight (with circular Côtes de Genève finish) can be seen.

Now let’s take a closer look at the true novelty, the new ruthenium-adorned dial. Its slate-grey color with delicate sunray-brush looks smashing with the pink gold of the case, white painted brand name, markers, pink gold baton-type applied hour markers, and leaf-shaped hands. All these details add up to a gorgeous classic timepiece!

Let’s end with some specification of the movement, caliber GP033M0:

  • Mechanical with automatic winding
  • Calibre: 11 ½ ligne
  • Parts: 287
  • Frequency: 28,800 vibrations / hour (4 Hz)
  • Jewels: 44
  • Power reserve: minimum 46 hours
  • Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, annual calendar, equation of time
  • Balance wheel: variable inertia with gold regulating screws (diameter: 7.18 mm)
  • Main plate: rhodium-plated, circular-grained above and below, diamond-cut facets
  • Barrel: snailing on the cover, sunray-brushing on the underside
  • Gear-train bridge: polished and diamond-cut facets, circular-grained on the underside, drawn sides, diamond-cut recesses, Côtes de Genève and “Girard-Perregaux eagle” engraving
  • Oscillating weight: pink gold, circular Côtes de Genève
  • Gear-train: gilded 2N18 wheels, burnished pivots, circular-grained sides

The 1966 Full Calendar in white gold that was introduced this year was already a magnificent play of classic and slightly more contemporary looks, this new color combination for the 1966 Annual Calendar and E.O.T. has the same playful combination. All together this looks like a winner.

In the next days we’ll cover the new 1966 Small Seconds.. stay tuned.

More info can be found at the Girard-Perregaux website and their official Facebook page.

Categories
Seiko Replica

Three years on : Replica Seiko’s Limited Edition Spring Drive MoonPhase

Sometimes I like to look back on a stylish replica watch a few years after its release, especially if, at the time, it was much heralded for technical and aesthetic reasons, and an award winner to boot, to see how it’s faring, and to assess whether my feelings about it have changed. This is one of those replica watches.

Having been launched in 2005, Seiko’s Spring Drive is no longer considered a novelty, and far more widely known and accessible than it was at its birth, when its availability was fairly restricted.

If you don’t know of the Spring Drive range and why it is so special, technically speaking, here’s an introductory video.

You can read more about the Quartz Astron that is mentioned at the beginning of the video, here.

In 2006, the first Spring Drive Moon Phase was released, and it proved to be the most popular design in the collection. In 2008, Seiko released a new limited edition (200) Spring Drive Moon Phase, the SNR017.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Spring Drive Moon Phase SNR017 (limited edition of 200)

CalibrE : 5R67
Case : Stainless Steel, 42.3mm
Diameter : 30mm
Thickness : 6mm
Parts : 288
Jewels : 30
Accuracy : Equivalent to +/- 1sec/ day
Power Reserve : 72 hours
Strap : Crocodile
Crystal : Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
Water resistance : 10 Bar
Caseback : Sapphire crystal

Despite being quite an elegant timepiece, it is also a fairly robust one. The case and crystal cannot be called delicate, and it sits quite largely for a 42mm replica watch because of its thickness.

To my mind, this is arguably the most beautiful Spring Drive (limited or otherwise) produced by Seiko to date (though I am also partial to the Spacewalk). As is the brand’s habit for dress replica watches, the dial is very clean, the moon an example of a pure and pared-back design that is very modern, but not dated.

When it was released in 2008, the LE Spring Drive Moon Phase it won German replica watch magazine Uhren-Magazin’s “Golden Balance Wheel Award” in the “up to 5000 Euros” category.

A Spring Drive’s gliding hands are something that has to be seen in the flesh, if you have not seen it before. I was drawn to the look of the replica watch when I first saw it, and three years have not diminished its beauty for me.

It has proven to be a versatile replica watch, worn equally well with shirt and jeans as a suit. Functionally, it has been gliding along happily for its owner, with no problems. It has not been a safe queen. Semi-regular use has not resulted in it looking a lot the worse for wear, and the sturdy strap is still in very good condition. All up, the Moon Phase has proven to be a replica watch that has given a lot of pleasure, has not dated, and is a ‘keeper’.

Categories
Swiss Replica

Made in China : High Quality Replica Sea-Gull Watch

Founded in January 1955 by the PRC government, Tianjin Sea-Gull Corporation (天津海鸥) was originally called the Tianjin Sea-Gull Replica Watch Factory, with only four replica watchmakers at its inception. By 2005, Sea-Gull were making more than 25% of the world’s mechanical movements. Today, they are the second largest producer of mechanical movements in the world, coming only after ETA.

It wasn’t until 1992 that the company became the Tianjin Sea-Gull Corporation. That same year, a decision was made to discontinue the production of mechanical replica watches in favour of quartz replica watches, but five years later, the company reversed its decision.

As a consequence of the Chinese replica watch industry becoming overcrowded with basic mechanical replica watches, in 2003 Sea-Gull decided to introduce chronographs into their range, bringing in the ST19 movement, which has been used both for their own and other brands.

Since then, Sea-Gull has focused on mechanical replica watches, and become known for their price-accessible (insofar as tourbillons are ‘accessible’) and solid quality tourbillons. Sea-Gull currently have seventeen calibre families, including their version of the ETA 2824 (ST21) and 2892 (ST18).

Sea-Gull’s first tourbillon movement, the ST80, was released in 2005. The next year, the brand released their first Double Tourbillon, the ST8080, featuring one carrousel and one common axis tourbillon from their new calibre ST82 (a ‘flying’ tourbillon) geared together. It is available in a skeletonised version, as is the ST80. They also created a luxury version, the ST8080G, in 18k rose gold. Sea-Gull’s ST84 is currently China’s smallest tourbillon movement, intended for women’s replica watches.

This model is an ‘earlier’ tourbillon from Sea-Gull, circa 2006, with the ST82 movement.

Quite a simple conservative design, even down to its blued ‘Breguet style’ hands, with a nice aesthetically balanced dial and, at 38mm, a comfortably flexible size. Their current tourbillons come in either 38mm or 40mm.

Sea-Gull also introduced both a quarter-repeater (ST90) and minute-repeater (ST91), and a minute repeater that also has a perpetual calendar (ST9150). In 2011 Sea-Gull prototyped China’s first microrotor automatic.

Their current range – tourbillons start from 3,865 € | 3,050 £ | 29,000 DKK for a 40mm time only tourbillon, going up to a 38.5mm 18k rose gold one with power reserve and 24-hour day/ night indicator for 10,950 € | 8,650 £ | 82,000 DKK.

Yes, many people will no doubt be commenting on how they wouldn’t spend that amount of replica watch on a “Made in China” replica watch, but Sea-Gull have gained recognition for their tourbillons, and this is a brand with history and credibility that is gaining more non-Chinese and non-watchnerd traction. They have  expanded to the U.S., Europe, and have even opened brand boutiques in Hong Kong and Singapore in recent years.

Oh and for those of you who still need some convincing, don’t forget that the Sea-Gull ST19 manual wind column wheel chronograph movement was developed from the Venus 175. In 1961 “Project 304” was initiated by the PRC government to develop chronographs for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force based on the cal.175, the tooling of which had been sold off by the Swiss brand. Venus had wanted to offload the cal.175 tooling to raise capital for development of their calibre 188. The USSR were not interested, but the Chinese were. The ST19 now has seven variants.